The ANNOTICO Report

Love is Blind, and therefore can Not Conquer All! Thimk!

Stars and Stripes
European Edition
By Jason Chudy
Sunday, April 24, 2005

If popping the question takes the form of  “Mi vuoi sposare?,” pre-marital
talks are vital when it comes to money matters, according to financial
planners.

“A big consideration when marrying someone from a different culture is that
cultural differences may lead to differences over finances,” explained
Naval Support Activity Naples Fleet and Family Service Center financial
educator David Hatfield.

If the person is tying the knot to a member of the nation where they’re
stationed, such as Italy, getting permission — and then the marriage
paperwork — usually isn’t too difficult, explained the Naples Navy Legal
Service Office’s Connie Henderson.

But anyone marrying in Italy falls under the Italian civil code, which —
naturally — is in Italian.

“If you’re going to marry an American or a foreign national in Italy,
you’ll need an interpreter,” said Henderson, who works as a liaison officer
between the Navy and the local Italian government. The interpreter’s fee
will vary, and starts around 100 euros in Europe.

There also will be legal fees for the Italian paperwork, which she said
runs around 60 euro. Other countries also have fees for processing
paperwork.

And if time is money, marrying a foreign citizen will cost more of that,
too. It can take as little as a month to process the paperwork for an
American marrying an American in Italy.

If an American marries an Italian, Henderson said, it will take more time.
If they’re marrying someone who is neither Italian nor American, it will
take even longer.

Once the paperwork is complete, or at least on its way to be completed, the
prospective husband and wife also should discuss future financial plans.

In Italy, Hatfield said, many married couples live with parents until they
have enough money to pay for their own home. Not all Americans might relish
the idea of living with their in-laws, no matter how much money they save,
so they had better come to an agreement on living arrangements before the
wedding day.

For those who will probably transfer from an overseas duty station to one
back in the States, or even in another country, they also should know
whether their foreign spouse will want to follow them.

If the spouse does move, there may be other financial considerations. Will
that person have to leave a job, meaning the couple will lose part of their
income?

And once they get somewhere else, will that foreign-born spouse even be
employable?

“Do they have enough English language skills to find a job?” Hatfield said.

“If their language skills aren’t there, they might find they’ll have more
bills from sending him or her to school.”

Related Stories:
What to know before tying the knot

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